Wheat Beer Probs

[jester22151]

Here's the story. I am a relativly new brewer. My first two batches were pretty much, just throw stuff in and see what happens. On my third batch, I was actually trying to accomplisg something si I bought the books and a calculated the mash bill and the IBUs and everything.

According to my calculation the original gravity should have been, 1.055. My actual original gravity was 1.056. So far so good right? Thats what I figured.

The problem that I am having is that on my first two batches I used wyest 1056 and the fedrmentation was pretty impressive. On my third one I used Wyest 3056 which is supposed to be a german wheat beer/hefe yeast. According to the books I have read the yeast should be fine between 68-72 degrees so that sould be no problem. Another thing I noted is when I started the yeast in the slap pack it did inflate the bag, but not as much as the 1056 did.

On my first two batches I had a good 3-4 inches of kraussen(I have no idea if I spelled that right). On this batch I have maybe two centemeters.

I am aware that different yeasts have different properties in terms of flocculation and attenuation and things lie that, but My question is, is the response usually so much less impressive on a wheat beer or is this just normal for the yeast?

Does this sound normal to everyone or does it sound like I'm going to run in to a problem?

 

[BuffaloSabresBrewer]

fermentations for wheats are usually crazy

 

[jester22151]

so you are saying that I have a problem.

well I started this batch on tuesday and I checked last night but not this morning. hopefully it just hadn't really gotten going yet.

 

[BuffaloSabresBrewer]

Well it depends. Did you take a gravity reading? Your yeast might not have had enough nutrients so they started off slow. As long as it ferments out youll be fine.

 

[jester22151]

1.056 was the og, which according to the books was pretty much dead on right.

 

[BuffaloSabresBrewer]

I meant your current reading. If its fermenting I wouldnt worry about it.
RDWHAHB

 

[riored4v]

fermentations for wheats are usually crazy

I'll be brewing a Sunshine Wheat clone (extract) from AHS here soon. Think it'll be crazy enough to require a blowoff tube? It'll be fermenting in a plastic bucket.

 

[blacklab]

if you are in a 6.5 gallon bucket I wouldn't worry about it. Just use the airlock.

 

[druids_keep]

i started an american wheat recently and it is going through the craziest fermentation i've ever seen ...

 

[sirsloop]

You cant use krausen amounts to determine fermentation. Let it finish and use a hydrometer to get your FG, and calculated attenuation.

If you could do that, then you would assume my mead's were not fermenting at all. In fact on of then fermented down from 1.120 down to like 1.000!

 

[riored4v]

if you are in a 6.5 gallon bucket I wouldn't worry about it. Just use the airlock.

yup, 6.5 gallon bucket. thanks

 

[Hopleaf]

How old was the yeast packet, do you know?

 

[plumber]

I would not worry about it as long as it is firmenting. I have had some that fill a blow off tube and others that do what you are seeing. Just watch for bubbles and a good swirl movement in the firmenter. If your gettining all of that then don't worry. It would not hurt to take a gravity reading just for reasurance.

 

[BuffaloSabresBrewer]

I would still use a blow off tube. I have done 5 gallon wheats in a 6.5 gallon carboy and ended up with krausen on the ceiling.

 

[tagz]

I wouldn't stress about it. There's a lot of variables. My last batch of 1056 was a long and slow ferment (much different from your experience). I worried about it, but it hit the FG. Tried it last night and its damn tasty.

 

[EvilTOJ]

As everyone else said, it's fermenting fine. What temp is the fermenter at? If it's a little cooler, say in the lower 60's, that can cause a less active ferment.